OPSEC: Everyone should care Published Aug. 14, 2012 By Christopher Hernandez 17th Training Wing Plans and Programs GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas- -- We have all seen those posters with the big purple dragon plastered across the walls throughout our units, and hopefully we are all aware of Operations Security concepts. But for many people, especially in the comfortable little military-friendly town of San Angelo the consequences of poor OPSEC practices seem vague, unlikely and incredibly distant. OPSEC is not a process that can be oversimplified through regulation; instead, OPSEC is a consistent, subtle check on a person's habits regarding the information he might publicize. According to Air Force Instruction 10-701, "OPSEC is a process of identifying, analyzing and controlling critical information indicating friendly actions associated with military operations..." This also includes the need to "identify those actions that can be observed by adversary intelligence systems, determine what specific indications could be collected, analyzed, and interpreted to derive critical information in time to be useful to adversaries, and select and execute measures that eliminate or reduce to an acceptable level the vulnerabilities of friendly actions to adversary exploitation." In other words, we are all responsible for identifying what information can possibly be collected and pieced together by adversaries into something useful. Furthermore, we are responsible for figuring out what actions to take to minimize our adversaries' accessibility to such critical and sensitive information. This does not come without challenges. One of the main obstacles to good OPSEC is complacency. This is compounded by the continuous handling of particularly sensitive information throughout the day. Nevertheless, mishandled unclassified information can very easily become significant to an adversary. Unfortunately, we are all susceptible to complacency that can lead to breaches in our OPSEC. Here are some common examples of poor OPSEC: · Throwing away anything with personally identifiable information such as bank statements, names and addresses, social security numbers and medical information · Throwing away any For Official Use Only information · Flags hanging in windows for deployed family members, identifying a spouse home alone · Decals or license plate frames advertising branch of service or unit · Secure area badges left in vehicles in plain view · Wearing t-shirts in town advertising our military units, installations or technical expertise · Social media profiles identifying military service, job series, what base you are at, deployment info, etc. In addition to protecting sensitive and critical information, some information, if divulged could put everyone at risk for being socially engineered. Social engineering happens when adversaries befriend individuals and collect information over the course of time...sometimes for years. Staying focused 24/7 is the constant challenge with maintaining good OPSEC. Seemingly unimportant information or actions become much more significant when pieced together and placed into context. Regulations governing OPSEC can be written, and training can be mandated, but ultimately, good OPSEC is a matter of consistently monitoring the information we allow others to see and creating good habits consistent with the military lifestyle we have all chosen to live. In other words, you should always be in an OPSEC frame of mind regardless of whether you are on or off duty, on or off base or in your house on your computer. Extremely vital to the success of our OPSEC program are dependents; dependents are privy to certain sensitive information such as deployment departure times and locations, recalls, etc. and can assist in creating, focusing and monitoring their families' OPSEC frame of mind. Dependents are equally as important as active duty, civilians and contractors in protecting Goodfellow, the Air Force, Defense Department and National Security. For more information on OPSEC, contact your unit OPSEC coordinators or the Wing OPSEC program manger at 654-5399.
